


but i think i really like you

by logastellusaur



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Sharing a Bed, Stargazing, Trans Character, Trans Iwaizumi Hajime, Weddings, because I said so, can you tell i like the childhood best friends to lovers trope, might be more tags as i think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logastellusaur/pseuds/logastellusaur
Summary: “Someone has to control that ego of yours.”“Iwaizumi.”Tooru was pleased with the way that his friend stopped in his steps at his name, instead of a nickname he’d refuse to let up with unless the situation called for it, and Tooru really, really needed things to go his way.“Please? I’m asking you as your friend. I know you don’t have anything going on.”“So I see this is going well.”sometimes, authors write things for themselves. this is one of those times.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 24
Kudos: 39





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> im so excited to finally be posting this because it was so fun to write and plan and scream in friend's dms about. thank you for giving it a chance !!

“So, six days?” 

“Six days.” 

Hajime threw up his hands. “Good luck with that one, Oikawa.” 

Tooru stood immediately, meaning to catch his friend on his way out the door. “Wait! Please, I’m not asking much of you.” 

“Oh, you know, just to pretend I’m madly in love with you to feed into your weird, insane sibling rivalry.” Hajime shrugged. “No big deal.” 

Tooru snorted. “The first part wouldn’t be too far off from the truth.” 

He only realized it absolutely wasn’t the time to be self centered when Hajime only took this as his cue to leave Tooru’s room. 

“You’ve met my sister!” Tooru protested. “She would hold this against me for the rest of her life. I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole wedding was fabricated by her just to get the satisfaction of being right.” 

“You say this like it’s a bad thing.” Hajime grabbed his phone, laid on the kitchen counter. “Someone has to control that ego of yours.” 

“ _Iwaizumi_.” 

Tooru was pleased with the way that his friend stopped in his steps at his name, instead of a nickname he’d refuse to let up with unless the situation called for it, and Tooru really, _really_ needed things to go his way. 

“Please? I’m asking you as your friend. I know you don’t have anything going on.” 

“So I see this is going well.” 

Both Hajime and Tooru turned to the new voice. “Hey, Suga,” Tooru greeted, rubbing his forehead with his palm. 

“What, did you discuss this with him before, too?” Hajime asked. 

“He was the one who proposed it, actually, so if you’re going to blame anyone here-” 

“Blame Oikawa,” Sugawara cut in, stepping in front of Tooru, effectively cutting him off, and taking a seat at their couch. “I offered to go with him, actually, but he argued that you’d be better for believability, I think was the word he used?” 

Tooru shot a glare at his roommate. “I hate you.” 

“It’s payback for you breaking the microwave,” Sugawara said simply, focused on something on the phone in his lap. 

Tooru focused his attention back on Hajime. He was the goal here, not getting back at his roommate, though that was now added to his list of priorities. “Please, just do this favor for me?” 

“It’s a free wedding invitation, I’d personally take it,” Sugawara hummed. 

“Yes, _thank you_!” Tooru could practically see Hajime’s thought process through the way his lips pursed slightly and he ran his thumb on the smooth side of his black phone case. Good. He was considering it. “Besides, you know how much my family already loves you.” Truly, sometimes it seemed like Hajime was part of the family, and Tooru was the invited friend. 

Silence descended upon the room before Hajime let out a long exhale, his tone practically screaming that he already thought this was a bad idea as he said, “When do we leave?” 

-

“Hey. _Hey_.” 

Tooru’s response was muffled by the pillow he pressed to his face because the world could wait right now. 

“Iwaizumi’s outside.” As much as he loved him, no one, even Hajime, was enough to get him up right now. Another pause. “I made coffee.” 

Those certainly seemed to be the magic words. Sugawara laughed at the way the mention of it made Tooru’s eyes flutter open, pushing himself up to take in the morning, gaining consciousness.

“How early is it?” Sugawara handed him a warm mug.

Tooru brought the drink under his nose, curling up his legs to lean against the headboard of his bed, cupping the mug with his hands to savor the warmth it provided. 

“Only nine,” his roommate answered, giving Tooru a pat on the head, using the opportunity to ruffle up his hair before standing. “Actually get up, will you?” 

He took a sip of his coffee, closing his eyes, content to stay there for the remainder of the morning, before it hit him. Shit. _Hajime’s outside._ He had a flight, a wedding, and a fake boyfriend to catch. Tooru reached out to his right, fumbling for his glasses on the surface of the table. He always felt much more awake with them in hand. 

Beside them, his phone beeped. 

**Iwaizumi (8:40)** okay, im here

 **Iwaizumi (8:42)** are you not awake???

 **Iwaizumi (8:49)** can you at least tell suga to let me in

 **Iwaizumi (8:53)** oikawa.

 **Iwaizumi (8:55)** shittykawa.

 **Iwaizumi (8:55)** TOORU. 

Tooru swore under his breath once again, kicking away his blankets to scramble his way out of his room. 

“Did you not let Iwaizumi in?” he asked his roommate. 

“He’s your friend,” Sugawara countered, mixing his breakfast with his spoon idly before adding, “Wait, sorry, _boyfriend_.” 

Tooru sighed and opened the door. 

Hajime was slumped against his suitcase, leaning against the wall adjacent to their door in the apartment hallway. His arms were crossed, legs splayed in front of him, head tilted forward and _how the hell was he sleeping_. Tooru almost laughed, but Hajime already finding a way to fall asleep in an apartment complex hallway meant that he was severely lacking in sleep. 

Tooru stepped into the hallway, propping the door open with his foot, too lazy to get his keys. He gave Hajime a small poke in the shoulder. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” he whispered, greeted back with a sleepy half-awake grumble. “One of us has to be awake to drag the other through the airport, and it’s not going to be me. You can sleep on the plane.” 

Airports were never Tooru’s favorite place, but in his line of work, it was nearly impossible to avoid aircraft travel. The early morning hassle of tired parents and children just trying to get to their gates on time and seemingly half asleep workers was familiar to him. The only difference was Hajime. He was used to taking flights with the entire team, not just one other person, and it had certainly been a while since the two were ever alone on a trip together. 

As they were waiting to board their flight, Tooru snuck a glance at his friend. Hajime seemed more tired than he had realized; the way he kept rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm one of his main tells. 

“Are you sure you went to bed at a good hour last night?” Tooru whispered, dragging his suitcase behind him. “I told you it was going to be a long day of travel.” 

“I’m fine,” Hajime sighed, though it wasn’t a direct answer to Tooru’s question. Being “fine” didn’t equate to well rested, a fact he was all too familiar with himself. “Worry about yourself.” 

“Rude,” Tooru huffed. “Is it really so much of me to want to make sure my _boyfriend_ is okay?” 

Hajime stiffened at Tooru’s words, who was instantly filled with the feeling that he’d done something wrong. He’d tried to make his tone as joking as possible, but he still understood that the rules were that they would act like they were dating in front of the rest of his family, and nothing more. 

But Hajime responded the next second, his usual jab of a comeback putting Tooru at ease. “No, I didn’t think you had the heart to care about other people.”

“Ah, yes, because I am my own one true love.” Tooru tapped his fingers on the handle of his suitcase, the pair taking a step forward as the line in front of them processed. 

“You sure act like it.” Hajime smirked. “I don’t forget that one time you asked yourself to be your own Valentine.” 

“I spent good time on that card, alright!” Tooru laughed at the memory. “What, you’d rather I’d have asked you?” 

“Not if you wanted to get rejected.” 

Tooru gaped at him, about to mutter a witty comeback, before they were called up to the counter by the airport employee. 

Hajime held their tickets, directing Tooru through the aisles of the plane, muttering to himself about how it wasn’t this row, no, not that one, not the next one, until he stopped and turned, extending an arm towards Tooru, who quirked an eyebrow. 

“Go ahead.” 

Tooru laughed. “You want me to take the _window seat_? That’s funny.” He even added a pat to Hajime’s shoulder. 

“I don’t _want_ you to take the window seat, _you’re taking the window seat_ ,” Hajime repeated, putting his own hand on Tooru’s back. 

“Are we forgetting the good five centimeters I have on you?” Tooru cocked his head. “These long legs need space to stretch, Iwa-chan.” 

“Hello, gentlemen?” 

The pair’s attention was turned to a short flight attendant who stood in the aisle behind them. She looked over Tooru’s shoulder and then back to meet his eyes, then Hajime’s. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry! He was just taking his seat,” Tooru said sweetly, taking his chance to give Hajime a light push into the row. 

“I think it’s unfair how fate likes to favor you,” Hajime said, but complied, already reaching for the seatbelt. “I really would’ve liked the extra leg space.” 

“Oh, hush, I know you’ll be asleep for most of the flight, anyways.” Tooru stood, only to raise his and Hajime’s suitcases above his head and into the compartment, pushing aside a bright pink purse, supposedly from the woman sitting in front of their row. 

On cue, Hajime pulled out a black cloth sleeping mask from his pocket. 

Tooru laughed. “Such an old man. I’m afraid my family won’t believe I’ve fallen for someone like you.” 

“I’m afraid your family won’t believe someone like _you_ could be taking home someone like _me_ ,” Hajime countered, though there was less passion in his voice, and Tooru suspected that Hajime simply wanted silence. 

It would be another twenty minutes before the plane even left the gate, and another ten before it went from taxi to take off. 

Aircraft travel was something he was used to, of course, but the sensation of the plane ascending high above the familiar ground below him still rattled him and made his stomach twist. His hand gripped the seat tightly, and if he squeezed his eyes tight enough he wouldn’t have to focus on anything but his breathing and that yes, he was in a safe and secure aircraft, and would be touching down at his destination before he knew it.

Tooru startled when a hand poked his side. 

Hajime tilted his head toward the seat directly in front of him, to the small screen now powered on, catalog of various blockbuster movie posters displayed, all for his viewing. But there was one that immediately caught his eye. He turned to Hajime, but he had already put on the eye mask and slumped into his chair. Tooru smiled. Of course Hajime would remember to queue up his favorite movie, and not even have the decency to be awake to receive Tooru’s thanks. 

As the opening title screen flashed, Tooru felt himself settle into his seat, grounding himself for the flight ahead. He would be in this same seat, miles and miles above the ground for the foreseeable future, it would be best for him to get used to it now. Besides, it would do him good to touch up on his English.

Early in, a flight attendant passed by, asking Tooru if he wanted a drink or any complimentary snacks. He nudged Hajime awake, who was seemingly ready to curse at him until he lifted the cloth and saw the smiling flight attendant. 

Hajime accepted the cup of water gratefully, but seemed at a loss for where he wanted to put it once he’d taken a sip. Tooru wordlessly held out his hand, earbuds already back in, the movie unpaused. Hajime handed over the cup, to which Tooru put next to his on the seat’s tray. 

More time passed, Tooru’s arms crossed, slouched slightly in his chair, before he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder. He tensed, but the slight turn of his head and he was met with a fully asleep Hajime. He scoffed, almost wishing he had some sort of permanent marker and a camera to capture the moment, but he didn’t want to disturb his sleep again. Tooru let his shoulder drop slightly before hesitantly, tilting his head to his right, letting his cheek rest against the top of Hajime’s head. If he was going to use Tooru’s body as a pillow, why not return the favor? 

It had been nearly a decade since he was last able to sleep on an airplane, but something about the mixture of Hajime’s shoulder pressed against Tooru’s own and the familiarity of the movie playing in front of him made his eyelids flutter and the sound around him begin to fade.

Of course, that was all only right before a baby two rows behind began wailing. 

Tooru frowned. If only he had Hajime’s persistence and ability to stay sleeping through less than ideal situations. He was often the one that was insistent on being awake when he needed to, but if there was an opportunity to nap, well, Tooru would just have to wake him up afterwards. 

He closed his eyes, reminiscing on all the times Hajime liked to nap through recess, smiling at the memories. Tooru would’ve settled with reading a book, or maybe looking around wherever he was for easy entertainment in his surroundings, and there was a large part of him that always just wanted to shake Hajime awake and make the most of the time they could spend together. 

But there was a certain way that Hajime slept. It was one of the few times throughout the day Tooru could actually see his expression soften, his breathing come easy, so peaceful and relaxed, oblivious and careless to whatever was around him. 

And, while he couldn’t exactly see him from where they were positioned, Tooru could see a clear picture of what the outside eye would see looking in on the two, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. The way their chests expanded and contracted side by side from one another as they breathed, a comforting and consistent enough presence that, even though he knew he wouldn’t be getting a wink of sleep, Tooru found himself pausing the movie and closing his eyes. 

Eventually, the pilot’s voice came over the speakers within the cabin, announcing their descent, thanking all the passengers for their patience through the turbulence, though Tooru hadn’t felt a thing. 

“How long has this been a thing,” Hajime whispered, startling him. Tooru assumed he meant how long had it been since Hajime’s head had been resting on his shoulder, but he made no attempt to move away. 

“I’m not sure. I think it was when the engines started failing.” It was a poor attempt of a joke, but Tooru felt like Hajime deserved some sort of a comeback. 

The same flight attendant came around and collected their cups, giving Tooru and Hajime one last look before winking at Tooru and continuing down the aisle. 

“Was that her way of flirting with me?” Tooru whispered. “I’m very clearly taken, here.” 

“Your shoulder is,” Hajime said. “The rest of you is free property.” 

“I’d like to think there’s some sort of price on perfection,” Tooru hummed back as the conversation came to a close. 

Neither spoke for the remainder of the plane’s descent, until the city became very visible and close below them, the lights creating paths across the ground, stark against the night sky. Tooru was leaning over Hajime to catch it, one of the few things he enjoyed about the flight experience. 

“If you wanted the window seat so much you could’ve just said so in the beginning,” Hajime said, pushing at Tooru’s arms. 

“Well, I really don’t. I just live to inconvenience you.” 

“Good, so it’s mutual.” Hajime swatted at Tooru’s arm one last time before he finally backed off to make sure he had everything in his possession. 

The aircraft landed as smoothly as possible, which was still to say loud and and shaky, and Tooru found himself squeezing his eyes shut and gripping his seat once more. But once the plane slowed into a taxi, a sense of relief washed over him. They had landed, made it through the whole bitch of a flight, and the vacation had officially started.

Well, vacation for him. Tooru was sure Hajime would enjoy the next five days to _some_ extent, but they were mostly here for him and his family. 

As soon as the plane came to a stop, Hajime and Tooru both immediately stood, stretching their arms as high as they could go. Tooru sighed in relief. He hadn’t expected to spend the whole flight seated in the same position, but he hadn’t wanted to disturb Hajime, so he paid the price accordingly. 

Tooru stepped into the aisle of the plane, reaching for their suitcases in the now unlocked overhead compartments. Hajime wiped his face with a hand. “Please don’t tell me we have to meet your family tonight.” 

“Don’t worry, we don’t,” Tooru grunted, setting down Hajime’s suitcase. “There’s a possibility we might run into some local guests, but I don’t think anyone else has been invited this early.” He laughed. “My parents and sister are probably going to be out late tonight, and I assume you just want to get to sleep.” 

“In a real bed, preferably.” 

“I don’t understand how you can just sleep the entire flight and still feel tired enough to get a full night’s sleep.” 

“I think it’s because I’m used to getting an actual full night’s sleep every night,” Hajime shot back, tone playful. 

Tooru frowned. “Well, you obviously didn’t last night. You fell asleep outside of me and Suga’s apartment this morning.” 

“The floor was comfortable,” Hajime said with a shrug, dismissing Tooru’s concern as he always did. He decided not to push it. If it was something truly pressing, Hajime would start acting strange in other areas besides talk of his sleeping habits, and Tooru was quite the expert in picking up on the signs. 

-

“This is. Wow.” 

The hotel in front of them was most likely the tallest Tooru had ever seen, glittering in design, standing out starkly from the rest of the buildings on the block. From what he could see inside the glass doors, their living arrangements would probably be nicer than they were back home, and Tooru wasn’t one to complain.

“Welcome to America,” Hajime grumbled after thanking and paying the driver, rolling his suitcase next to Tooru’s.

The doors slid open for them automatically, bossa nova music playing softly from speakers within the hotel lobby. Tooru gaped at the literal mini _fountain_ to his left, a curling couch laid behind it, a man lounging on his phone on it. 

“Hello, how can I help you two tonight?” the receptionist recited from behind the marble counter, though her eyes were trained on the laptop in front of her, out of sight from Hajime and Tooru. 

“We’re checking in as part of a group- Oikawa?” Tooru answered, pulling out his phone, getting his sister’s number at the ready. On the invitation it said that nearly everything at the hotel could be covered by just telling the staff that they were a part of the party, names coming after. 

“Oikawa Kokomi?” Tooru nodded. “And what are your names?” 

The receptionist’s eyes widened as Tooru answered her. “Are you her-” 

“Brother,” he finished. “He’s my plus one,” he added awkwardly, waving a hand to Hajime, who nodded to the receptionist before providing his own name. She smiled at Hajime before turning back to her laptop, typing in something before turning back to the pair in front of her. 

“Alright, your room is number 514, here are your keys.” She slid two blue cards over the counter, Hajime and Tooru picking their respective ones. “Please call the reception desk if you have any questions, wifi password is in the binder on your bed, breakfast starts at-” 

“Bed?” Hajime repeated. 

The receptionist blinked, frozen. “Yes, there will be a binder on your bed, including important safety information regarding your stay here that I highly recommend you go over-” 

“No, no, bed as in _singular bed_?” 

Tooru put his head in his hands. 

“I’m sorry, sir, if you have a problem regarding your room arrangements, you’re going to have to bring it up to the party leader before we can do anything about it.” 

“Leave it to Kokomi,” Tooru sighed as the pair walked away from the desk and into the hallway. “I knew she’d try to pull something like this.” Even though, logically, Tooru rationed, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for two people who were dating to share beds if they had been dating for over two months, which was the lie being fed to his family. 

Hajime stepped forward to press the elevator button, getting to it before Tooru could. “Hey!” he protested. “You know how much I like the elevator buttons.” 

“You seem to like pushing my buttons a lot, shouldn’t you be satisfied already?” 

Tooru stuck out his tongue. “You say it like you’re completely innocent as well.” 

The elevator let out a chime before the doors opened and Hajime and Tooru stepped aside to let an old couple pass before stepping in themselves. Tooru took the opportunity to immediately jump to press the button for floor five, feeling a sense of pride that he had beaten Hajime to it, even though the person in question seemed more fixated on the mirrors that lined the walls of the elevator. 

Once the doors closed and the elevator began moving, Tooru took the time to speak. “Okay, so we’re not going to see my actual family until tomorrow, probably,” he reiterated, “but we don’t know who we might run into, so just pretend you like me more than normal, alright?” 

“We’re literally going to be walking from this elevator to our room,” Hajime countered, “I think we’ll be okay.” 

“Aren’t you hungry?” Tooru asked. “For dinner, I mean.” 

The doors in front of them opened, Hajime taking charge. “I’ll force you to grab something for the both of us, obviously.” 

“So mean,” Tooru huffed, following his companion down the hallway, watching the golden number plates on the walls beside the doors of the rooms, counting up until they rounded the corner and Tooru was faced with 514.

Hajime swiped the keycard, a small light blinking green before the door unlocked and he pushed it open. Tooru let out a low whistle when he walked inside. There was a whole living room-reminiscent area greeting them as they walked in, not unfamiliar to what Tooru had with Sugawara back home. Beyond that was a closed door to the bathroom, and the fated single bed. 

“Not even a king?” Tooru said. 

Hajime snorted. “Not everything’s exactly fit for you, you know.” 

“I guess you’re right, everything needs flaws, here and there.” Tooru slipped off his shoes before gloriously faceplanting right into the bed, smiling at the way the covers puffed up around him. 

“I can take the couch.” 

Tooru laughed. “It’s okay, not everything has to be sarcasm with you all the time.” When Hajime didn’t say anything, Tooru sat up and turned to face him. “Wait, you’re kidding, right?”

While it had never been _explicitly_ in the same bed, there wasn’t childhood best friends without sleepovers and sleepovers without the, while pretend, sleep. 

“Shower,” Hajime only mumbled back, leaving his suitcase and heading straight to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

Tooru huffed and fell back onto the bed, calling back, “Don’t be too long,” only just before he could hear the shower turn on and plumbing get to work. He took the time to unpack, looking out over the window overlooking the street.

Eventually, he shot a quick text to Sugawara, letting him know that they had landed and arrived at their hotel smoothly, before taking Hajime’s place in the bathroom. 

When he left, he found Hajime sitting on the bed, flipping through the aforementioned binder. “Are you hungry for dinner? There’s room service,” he said without giving Tooru a second glance. 

“Is there now?” Tooru took a seat on the side of the bed next to him, overlooking the pages in the binder. 

“It seems like it’s mostly breakfast, though.” 

“What’s wrong with a little breakfast food for dinner?” Tooru grabbed the binder from Hajime’s lap, scanning through the menu on his own. “I could really go for some pancakes right now.” 

Hajime sighed. “I’ll call.” 

**Sugawara (21:23):** did you meet up with your sister yet??

 **(21:27):** no, thank god

 **(21:27):** that’s tomorrow 

**Sugawara (21:28):** tell her hi for me

 **(21:28):** uve never met before tho

 **Sugawara (21:29):** bring her back over here, then

 **(21:29):** and still have to fake a relationship with iwa? hah. 

Tooru set down his phone. He dug through his suitcase until he found his journal, grabbing the pen packed beside it. He crossed his legs and got to work. 

“I didn’t know you still journaled,” Hajime said once he hung up. 

“I don’t,” Tooru said, focused on the page in front of him. “I just bring it around to look cool, obviously.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Oftentimes he had to force himself to sit and write, or else nothing would get done, and part of it was just the appeal of looking like a mysterious stranger with important, poignant thoughts worth capturing. 

But his entries were far from it, and he wasn’t sure how acceptable it was to have, essentially, a diary as an adult. Hajime walked around to the other side of the bed, taking a seat. Tooru shifted himself to hide what he was writing from his point of view. Hajime scoffed in response. 

“I’m writing a top secret report, Iwa-chan, it’s not for public consumption,” he said, tapping his pen on the paper. What was the word he was looking for? Oh, right, tangible. 

Soon, the distant noise of the local news filled the room, Hajime setting the remote down on the bedside table. Tooru welcomed it, a nice sort of background noise for him to work against. As close as they were with one another, it was nearly impossible for him and Hajime to spend a whole day together and keep up a conversation the whole time. Lucky for both of them, they were both masters in the art of enjoying one another’s company, in silent bonding. It probably stemmed from times of being separated from each other in the classroom for being a nuisance to the instruction, or maybe being bound to get on one another’s nerves was a recipe for disaster if one of them didn’t shut up here and there. 

In no time at all, there was a loud knock on their door. Hajime wordlessly stood, thanking the employee, carrying in the tray of pancakes, grabbing the syrup and utensils. 

“C’mon. You’re not eating on our bed.” 

Tooru sighed but complied, closing his journal and setting the pen on the bedside table, next to his and Hajime’s phones. He couldn’t help but notice how stiff the word _our_ had come from Hajime. It made Tooru consider the possibility of he himself offering to take the couch, if sharing truly was uncomfortable for Hajime. 

There was a pair of loveseats facing one another, a small round wooden table sat between them, laid next to where the door was. Hajime set down the tray, stepping back to open the minibar.

“Pass me a soda, will you?” Tooru asked, taking a seat and enjoying the scent wafting from the food. 

“This late at night, after not sleeping at all?” The minibar door closed, Hajime setting down two water bottles. “Besides, everything in here but the water is overpriced.” 

“Aren’t we on vacation?” Tooru shot back, but he complied and uncapped one of the water bottles. 

“ _You’re_ on vacation,” Hajime said, grabbing a fork and knife and sliding the rest of the plastic utensils to Tooru. “I’m simply the travel buddy you had to bring along.” 

“You can at least pretend to be my boyfriend around my family,” Tooru mumbled before taking the first bite. “How’s Makki and Mattsun?” he asked after swallowing. Nothing special, but it beat airport food or simply skipping the meal altogether. 

“Fine,” Hajime said with a mouthful of food. “They want to move out of their current apartment building, though.” 

“Really? We’d be happy to have them.” 

Hajime raised an eyebrow. “You and Sugawara couldn’t fit anyone else even if you tried.” 

“Mmf,” Tooru swallowed, “in the same building, obviously. Can’t be sharing a bed with anyone else, now can I?” He shot Hajime a wink, who only turned back to his food and hid his face behind the water bottle. 

They were both exhausted, and the other could tell. It was a strange thing, how spending the entire day sitting on a plane could make one so strained for rest, but Tooru’s body yelled at him to spend time contemplating it tomorrow instead. Once he was done with his meal, he simply gathered his clothes from his suitcase and closed the bathroom door behind him. Hajime followed suit as soon as he was done. 

Once Hajime was changed, though, things felt awkwardly silent between the two of them. 

Tooru was the one to break it, as always. “Look, if you’re really that uncomfortable with it I can just take the couch-” 

“No, no, I know you didn’t sleep on the plane today.” Still, Hajime sat at the foot of the bed. 

“Well, _I_ know that you slept through the day in the same seated position. Taking the couch couldn’t be good for your posture.” Hajime stayed silent, seemingly focused on a spot on the carpeted floor in front of him. Tooru sighed. “Look, we can just share it, it’s fine. I don’t bite, you know.” 

“I’m more worried about the kicking.” Hajime waved his hand, and Tooru swore he saw the beginnings of a smile on his face. “You know, the whole incident with the water bottle-”

“Oh, that was one time!” Tooru laughed. “Besides, if I kick, I know you’re just going to kick me right back.” 

“It’s what you deserve.” 

He frowned at Hajime’s jab, but grabbed the covers of the bed and lifted, settling himself under, taking the left side of the bed. Tooru grabbed his phone from the table, scrolling through his notifications idly, before he noticed Hajime joining him, nearly falling off the edge. “Are you tired enough?” he asked, because he certainly was, but it would feel better coming from Hajime. 

“Yes.” Hajime turned the lamp on his side off, nearly plunging the entire room in darkness. Tooru gave Sugawara one last response to the picture he’d sent with Tooru’s ice cream, _i swear if its not there when i get back,_ before doing the same, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness. 

Hajime turned his back towards Tooru instantly, without a word. 

“Not even a good night?” Tooru said into the silence, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He heard the distant sound of footsteps outside their room, mixed with muffled voices. 

“I’m not your mom,” was Hajime’s response. “She can kiss you goodnight tomorrow.”

Tooru huffed and turned, facing his back to Hajime. Fine. He could be cold, too. Though the bed certainly had enough space for both of them, it seemed that they were putting as much distance between the two of them as physically possible. Tooru shifted the pillow under his head. 

“Stop.” 

Tooru frowned. “What exactly am I doing?” 

“Making noise.” 

“Well, so are you.” 

“You started it!” 

“My sleeping schedule doesn’t care who started it, only about whatever gets in its way.” 

“Oh, you know what-” 

Tooru kicked back his leg. A loud thump followed. “ _Shit_.” 

He turned and propped himself up with his arm, leaning as far as he could to look over the edge of the bed. 

“This isn’t funny.” 

“Not at all,” Tooru followed with a sputtered laugh, enjoying the sight of Hajime, quite literally so far away from him that all it had taken to push him over the edge was a gentle nudge. Though, in all honesty, what Tooru was going for had _not_ been a gentle nudge. 

“This is more comfortable, anyways.” 

Tooru shook his head. “Come on. Like I said, I don’t bite-” 

“-but you do kick.” 

“ _I won’t_.” A feeling akin to light frustration washed over Tooru. He turned away from Hajime, wrapping himself up in the blanket as he had been before. “You don’t have to be so damn stubborn all the time,” he huffed. 

He heard Hajime take his place back on the bed again. What he’d expected was something like, “Only if you do,” or, “Look who’s talking?” Not, a real, genuine; “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” Tooru mumbled. It really was, he was often as stubborn and persistent with Hajime as Hajime was with him. “Not your fault.” 

A moment of silence passed between them, Hajime still sitting at the edge of the bed. 

“But really, you don’t have to lay at the very edge of the bed like I’m something worth avoiding.” 

And here, instead of a, “Because you are,” Hajime simply slid back into bed, and while they were still far from touching, Tooru could tell something inside him seemed to relax. In turn, he let the tension in his shoulders loosen, to let the distant noises of the city guide him to sleep. 

-

Tooru’s eyes fluttered open. He almost jumped at the realization that there was a whole human arm on his chest, but heard Hajime’s snores, and was reminded of where exactly he was, and that no, it wasn’t an axe murderer. 

In his sleep, Hajime had turned towards Tooru, his hand laying on Tooru’s chest. Somehow, Tooru had ended up on his back, an awfully uncomfortable position to fall back asleep in who knew how early in the morning. Slowly, trying not to disturb Hajime, he turned to his right, to fully face him. 

There was barely any light in the room, but Tooru could make out Hajime’s face, and his memory filled in the rest for him. He almost took the opportunity to enjoy this silent version of him, a version that wasn’t constantly there to tease him, a softer, more vulnerable version. But Tooru knew Hajime would hate him for that. And, his body felt like it was going to give out if he didn’t fall back asleep right then and there. 

So, regretting the decision as soon as it was done, he turned away from Hajime, pulling up the blanket high above his shoulders, letting Hajime’s hand drop to the pillow. He closed his eyes and let his body do the rest.

  
  



	2. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking around :)  
> me, actually being consistent on my updating promises ?? shocking. i realized that creating original characters is wack, actually, so oikawas sister is basically his personality copy paste. enjoy !!

Tooru awoke to a note under the door. He squatted to pick it up, toothbrush in hand. 

_Mini-golf, 12:00, lobby._

_Be there or be square._

_-K_

“Hey, what time is it?” Tooru called. 

It took a moment for Hajime to answer, stepping out of the bathroom and checking his phone. “Eleven thirty. Why?” 

“Shit.” Thirty minutes wasn’t horrible. He’d done worse, back in college and high school. Yet, he had to account for Hajime as well, and as timely as he was, extra variables were still extra variables. “We have to meet my family downstairs in thirty minutes.” 

“Oh, good. I thought something bad actually had happened.” 

Tooru frowned at him. “I thought you weren’t excited to meet back up with my family.” 

“Well, I’m not ecstatic, obviously.” Hajime shrugged. “But they’re practically an extension of mine at this point.” He took this time to look Tooru up and down, studying his outfit. “What are you wearing.” More of a statement than a question. 

“I’ll have you know, I hear these style of shirts are very popular in the area.” Tooru pinched the edge of his shirt, stretching out below him, stealing a glance at the bright floral patterns below. He had to admit, it was sort of an eyesore to look at, but that was partly why he had bought it in the vibrant blue in the first place. The pastel pink cargo shorts were less of a statement, but Tooru still prided himself for having the confidence to wear them out, regardless. 

Hajime stepped towards him. “At least button it up all the way, if you’re going to.” He took the task upon himself, grabbing the second highest button and fixing the shirt. 

“I could’ve done that myself, you know,” Tooru huffed, but didn’t make any move to shoo Hajime away. If it had been someone like his mother or his sister, it would be a different story, but Hajime always had his best interests in mind. That, was something he could trust, something consistent. 

“Are you ready? We still need breakfast.” 

“I didn’t think about that,” Tooru said truthfully, though the rumble of his stomach that followed said otherwise. 

Hajime smirked. “Breakfast closes at twelve, we can probably grab something small if we hurry.” 

“You’ve got your key?” Tooru asked, conveniently only after they shut the door to their hotel room behind them.

“Please don’t tell me you forgot yours,” Hajime grumbled, though he pulled the keycard out of his pocket. 

“I didn’t, I was just making sure _you_ didn’t forget _yours_.” Tooru shot him a wink. “I gotta keep you on your toes, Iwa-chan.” 

The lobby of the hotel was much more crowded than it had when they had arrived the night before, several groups and parties talking to overwhelmed employees, studying maps and pamphlets on display, and it seemed all the seating area for meals was completely full. 

“It’s going to be impossible to find my family here,” Tooru grumbled. 

“ _Tooru!”_

His heart soared at the voice. “I redact my earlier statement,” was all he said to Hajime before turning and being immediately enveloped in a crushing hug. 

Tooru’d barely had a moment to catch a glimpse of his older sister, but knew exactly that it was her from her familiar chipper voice, and the way that she nearly hugged all the air directly out of him. 

“You can let go now,” he laughed, hooking his chin around her shoulder, tighter, because it would never be tight enough to tell her how much he’d missed her. 

“Don’t want to,” was her simple response. Though, soon after, something caught her eye and she gasped, releasing Tooru as quickly as he had been held. He nearly fell from the sudden change. 

That something, was Hajime. “Wait- you’re-”

“Kokomi, this is my boyfriend.” The word was still foreign on his tongue. He was no stranger to relationships, but Tooru had wanted to wait for the right person to introduce to his family, to make sure they really were worth it. And, well, boyfriend or not, Hajime was worth it. There was a reason he was the only one who stayed to sleepover after all of his birthday parties, the one he could get away with spending just a little more time with by inviting to dinner, the one his family doted over as much as they did their own son. 

“It’s been a while, Iwaizumi,” Kokomi said sweetly, wrapping Hajime in a hug. Tooru knew how he was about hugs, but befriending a member of the Oikawa family meant being able to put up with constant physical affection. His mother often told him that everyone’s touch contained love, flowing right from the heart, and it was Tooru’s personal journey to share that with as many willing people as possible. She’d stressed the willing part, and Tooru had really only realized why once he got to high school. 

Hajime looked at him over Kokomi’s shoulder, and Tooru gave him a wink back. When they were both waking up for the morning, it seemed an unspoken acknowledgement between them that today was the day that they would start pretending, today was the day to make it count, to start off strong. Tooru wished he’d walked into the lobby holding Hajime’s hand, but he doubted his sister had time to notice. 

“Congratulations,” Hajime told her when they finally broke apart. 

“Where’s your fiancee?” Tooru asked her. “It’s been a while.” 

Kokomi frowned. “I think she’s with our parents, but she’s been a little weird all morning. Are you two here for breakfast?” Hajime nodded. “Oh, good, the muffins here are _fantastic_.” 

And, the muffins were all that was left. Tooru wasn’t picky, and didn’t mind, of course. They would most likely be getting lunch somewhere on their outing as a family soon, and it would only take a couple carbs to fill him over. 

“How was your flight over?” Kokomi asked, somehow finding the only empty table in the lobby, a small table with only two chairs, similar to the loveseats Tooru was familiar with in his own apartment. 

“Could’ve been worse,” he said with a shrug, watching Hajime walk over, two cups of coffee, he hoped, in his hands. “Ooh, is one for me?” 

“No, it’s for your sister, dumbass,” Hajime said, handing one of the cups to Tooru. Kokomi rested a hand on her palm, leaning in, fixing the pair of them with a glance Tooru had come to associate with mischief. He gave her a glare right back, before realizing that Hajime had simply been standing there the whole time. 

“Oh, we can probably find another chair-” 

Hajime cut him off, simply sliding into the seat next to him, pushing Tooru aside. Their limbs were squeezed next to one another. In response to this, Hajime simply draped his arm around Tooru’s back, hand resting idly on his shoulder. He took a sip of his coffee, eyes focused on Kokomi, trying to relax the tension within his body. 

“So, are you excited for the wedding?” Tooru asked, trying to diffuse whatever tension his sister might’ve been picking up on. This had to be normal. This had to be something that would make sense for Hajime to do. If Tooru would get startled every time that they so much as touched, the entire charade would prove to be more difficult than anticipated. 

“Of course,” Kokomi responded. To his relief, Tooru didn’t sense any suspicion on her face. “Though, I think our parents are even more than I am.” 

Tooru laughed. “Are they acting like it’s _their_ wedding?” 

“Pretty much.” Kokomi smiled into her coffee. “Mom asked me about flowers, earlier,” she cleared her throat, “navy blue or light blue, darling?” It was still uncanny to Tooru how spot on her impressions of their mother was. “I said navy blue, to go with my dress, and _right in front of me_ , she told the florist on the phone that I said light blue.” 

“Sounds about right,” Tooru hummed. “If she _wasn’t_ acting like this, I’d be concerned.” 

“So how are you two?” 

Tooru and Hajime exchanged a glance, heads nearly touching from the proximity. “Pretty good, wouldn’t you say so?” Tooru said, turning back to his sister before he was able to forget that she was there. It was a bad habit, ignoring everyone else in the room to talk to and joke with Hajime. 

As children, they’d start talking in some absurd form of code that the two of them only understood. They’d get loud and rowdy, ignoring the rest of the room and whatever task was usually at hand. It often ended with the two nearly rushing out of the room, only stopping when they realized that they weren’t alone and usually couldn’t afford to exercise free will. 

“Tooru!” 

From behind his sister, his mother came rushing up to him. He squeezed out of the chair, Hajime moving aside for him. 

“I still can’t believe you’re taller than me,” his mother said over his shoulder as they exchanged a hug. 

“You’re as bitter as ever,” Tooru remarked, earning him a light smack on the arm. 

“Oh, I forgot you were bringing Iwaizumi!” His mother stepped to the side, letting go of Tooru.

Hajime stuck out his hand for a respectful shake, but Tooru’s mother went in for a hug instead. From the way his eyes widened and expression turned blank, Tooru suspected she hadn’t shown any mercy on him that she had earlier. He laughed. 

“It’s not a bad thing Tooru brought his boyfriend, is it?” Kokomi asked, bringing attention back to her. 

“Not at all!” their mother responded. “Especially since it’s Iwaizumi.” It was Iwaizumi, and that was enough for him, and the rest of his family. 

Behind his mother, the rest of his extended family trickled in. Tooru took his time greeting all of them, Hajime staying beside him, waiting until he was introduced to fully join the conversation. 

“So. Mini golf,” Tooru whispered in his sister’s ear. He didn’t want to be the one to interrupt the current greeting between his aunt, father, and cousins, but he was also itching to actually get outside and start his day. 

Kokomi called attention to the group. “Sadly, the car that we rented won’t be able to fit two of our party, so two of us will need to ride separately in a taxi-” 

“We can do it.”

Hajime and Tooru looked at one another as the words came out simultaneously. Tooru couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “We’ll call a taxi,” he said to his sister. “I think we need a little time to destress and _discuss_.” Hajime nodded enthusiastically, and Tooru found himself trying his hardest not to laugh again. He wasn’t a very good liar when it came to smaller matters. Lie about his test grade? Easy. Lie to a friend about what he had for lunch? Good luck. 

“I’ll text you the details,” Kokomi said, pulling out her phone. Mere seconds later, Tooru’s phone buzzed in his pocket. 

“Is your fiancee not coming today?” Hajime asked. 

Kokomi shook her head. “It’s mostly an outing for our side of the family, she’s going to have lunch with her own parents today.” 

Soon, Tooru and Hajime piled into their own taxi, giving the details to the driver. She was a woman seemingly in her late twenties. After she started the car, Tooru said, “You don’t mind if we discuss a few things?” 

“Not at all,” the driver responded, eyes fixated on the road.

Tooru sighed, slapping his hands over his eyes, collapsing into the backseat. “That was terrifying.” 

Hajime scoffed. “It’s going to get worse, you know.” 

“No it’s not,” he said, though he knew Hajime was right. “It’s always the worst at the beginning. They’re always so judgemental in the beginning.” For now, all of his family’s attention would be on him, would be on them, Tooru and Hajime. Once more guests arrived for the wedding, and it was actually time to prepare for the event, all the focus would be on the holy matrimony of his sister and her fiancee. Tooru bet that they could slip away unnoticed, if they really wanted to. 

“They didn’t seem to suspect us, if that’s worth anything,” Hajime added. 

“My sister probably saw how I froze when you pulled that thing with the chairs.” Tooru’s foot bounced against the floor of the car, his attention focused on the way the sole of his shoe bounced up and down. 

“What, is sitting next to me too much for you?” 

“No,” Tooru huffed, “I just expected it to be a lot more…” he trailed off, throwing up his hands, the right words escaping him. “I don’t know. Hand holding kind of stuff.” 

“I can hold your hand just fine.”

“I know that.” Tooru sighed. He wasn’t great at processing, nor acknowledging his feelings, a fact he’d been aware of for a while before. But now, he felt at a loss for words in a way that was different, more of a sense of tugging on his heart. If only there was a word for it, the way he seemed to overthink absolutely everything about Hajime and what fake dating him would mean, but his mind was simultaneously clear whenever he was with him, simply living in the moment. 

“You’re giving me a lot of mixed signals,” Hajime said after a moment of silence between them. 

“Once I decipher them myself, I’ll let you know.” Tooru looked out the window. He knew he was probably being difficult right now, but if anyone could handle it, it was Hajime. 

“Is mini golf a thing in your family? Is that why you’re wearing that ridiculous outfit?” 

“Hey, I think my shirt is quite lovely,” Tooru huffed, the usual flow of teasing putting a small grin on his face. “I’m surprised you don’t know already. My parents get super competitive with one another, and of course, that rubs off on us. Kokomi keeps insisting she’s better than me.” 

“I have no doubt she is.” 

Tooru gave his arm a light smack, which he returned, full force. It took everything in him not to continue the volley, and he truly would’ve, if not for the driver he was still well aware was able to listen into all of their conversations. 

It wasn’t long until they arrived at the mini golf parking lot, Hajime and Tooru thanking the driver and paying her before stepping outside. The Oikawa family was grouped together outside, Tooru’s younger cousins climbing the fence, Kokomi scolding them to get down before they broke something, or themselves. 

“Hope we weren’t too late,” Tooru said as they stepped up to the entrance, turning the attention of the group to them. 

“No, we’ve been waiting here for hours, obviously,” Kokomi said. Everyone walked to the entrance without much more word to Tooru and Hajime. 

Naturally, the two fell to the back of the group, walking side by side. “Are you hungry?” Tooru asked.

He was met with an immediate, “ _Yes,_ ” from Hajime. 

“I think the faster we clear the course, the faster we can get out of here and get something to eat.” Tooru shrugged. “At least, that was my parent’s policy all that time ago.” 

“Is that a challenge?” Hajime said, voice rising. 

Tooru side eyed him and smirked. “When is it ever not, with you?” 

“You’re going down, Shittykawa,” was Hajime’s response. 

“ _Me_?” Tooru scoffed. He took Hajime’s wrist and held it up. “Me and Iwa-chan are a team now!” he announced to everyone in front of him, as they all picked up clubs from the front desk. 

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Hajime scoffed, though Tooru noticed the way his hand moved to meet Tooru’s as he picked a red club from the bucket. 

“You’re just too afraid to admit without me, you’d lose.” Tooru picked his own blue club from the bucket, turning it over with his free hand. 

“Like hell I would.” 

“Stop fighting, you two,” Kokomi called as the group stepped through the hut and onto the first hole of the course. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s impossible for us,” Tooru said. 

“For once, I agree,” Hajime conceded. 

With that, Tooru and Hajime sped ahead of the rest of the family. Tooru was rusty, but after he played his first two holes, the mechanics of the play came back to him, and he was able to nail most of the easier courses in one or two strokes. Hajime could surprisingly keep up. It wasn’t even his ego talking, but there was definitely still a skill gap between the two of them, Tooru’s holes coming easier and less luck based. As they winded their way around the course, Tooru was able to catch a glance of his family behind him, so once Hajime had scored, Tooru lifted a hand to ruffle his hair. 

“I hate it when you do that,” Hajime grumbled, but only gave Tooru’s arm a light swat rather than a full on smack.

Their luck continued until the last course; the fated windmill hole. Unfortunately, the hole was left to Hajime, and it wasn’t that Tooru didn’t have faith in his friend, it was just that _he_ was _clearly_ deserving of the honor of the last shot. 

“Don’t mess this up.” 

Hajime turned to face him. “If you keep breathing down my neck, I will.” Tooru was only steps away from him, looking over his shoulder to make sure the angle was perfect. 

“Are you forgetting the basics _now_?” 

Tooru took it upon himself to take a step closer, instead, wrapping his hands around Hajime’s. “Turn your body,” he instructed, taking a step in turn and making Hajime face to his right instead of the hole itself. “Wind back, and tap.” 

It seemed Hajime hadn’t gotten the memo with _tap_ , because he swung back and struck with such force that the golf ball rocketed towards the windmill, hitting one of the panels of wood and flying back at the two of them, hitting Tooru in the shin. 

“ _My god,_ ” he seethed, stepping away, lifting his left leg. It didn’t hit him _that_ hard, but the shin was a very sensitive area, and golf balls seemed softer than they felt. “I knew you were a spiker but _mini golf_? Seriously?” 

Hajime shrugged, resting the tip of the golf club on his shoulder, grin saying it all. “What? I hit it until it broke.” 

“Please don’t bring that up with me right now,” Tooru sighed. “In my time of need and hurt, Iwa-chan, how cruel.” He could’ve gone off about how truly stupid he thought the slogan was, something Matsukawa had helped him fabricate for a certain interview, something that would paint him how he wanted to appear, without seeming to cheesy or cliche. Now, as an adult, looking back, he really should’ve come up with something better. 

Hajime narrowed his eyes. “What, do you want to be carried off the court? Bridal style?”

“You’ve got the wrong Oikawa.” Tooru caught a glance at his sister, winding up before getting a flawless hole in one. Her eyes found Tooru’s after she scored, blowing him a kiss and a wink before he shook his head at her and said, “Come on, let’s go put these clubs away.” 

-

The two took a taxi together back, Hajime picking a by the slice pizza place for them to try their luck at. 

“We could’ve gone somewhere a lot better,” Tooru commented as they stared down their destination. He glanced at the photos on Hajime’s phone, then back up at the building in front of them, and appreciated the powers of good photo editing. “Somewhere worth our money.” 

“That’s the thing,” Hajime said, stepping forward to swing the door open, letting Tooru enter first. “We’ll barely be spending any money here.” 

And he was right, slices were only a single United States dollar, and Hajime had made sure to stack up on in the airport, and two bottled waters only doubling their total. It was the tax that made Hajime have to pull out the individual cents from his pockets, counting them in his hand before giving them to the tired cashier. 

“I think our math teachers would be very proud of you for taking a whole minute to calculate the change,” Tooru quipped once their slices were in hand. 

“Oh, shut up. I forgot the coin value.” 

The two tables that were laid out in the front of the store were both occupied, one by an older woman with a sewing kit, and the other by a couple that Tooru could just _tell_ were going to have a fight at some point that day. He looked through the store window to a park, just on the other side.

“Come on,” he said, threading his arm through Hajime’s because Tooru’s hands were too full to properly take his, leading them out of the restaurant. 

They crossed the street, some kid in a stroller chewing on his sleeve stared at the sight of Tooru and Hajime like they were celebrities caught on the street. Tooru nudged Hajime with his elbow and tilted his head, flashing a wink at the kid before his mother rolled him out of sight. 

“We’re not _that_ pretty, are we, Iwa-chan?” Tooru joked.

“We?” Hajime only repeated. 

“Well, of course. I have standards for the people I hang around with, you know.” 

“So shallow.” Hajime clicked his tongue as they took the nearest empty park bench, Tooru noting the carvings of numerous couple’s initials in the dark wood. Briefly, he wondered whether or not any of them remembered doing it, and if any of the relationships ever lasted, but he was not one to be cynical when it comes to romance. 

“What, basing who I hang around on looks?” Tooru said, taking the bench adjacent to Hajime, realizing that they forgot to grab napkins. Oh well. At least his mother wasn’t there to scold him about wiping his hands on his shorts. “I go for popularity too, you know.” 

“You’re awful,” Hajime responded, taking a bite of his slice. 

“And like calls to like.” 

Hajime frowned before swallowing. “The phrase is opposites attract, dumbass.” 

“Then we don’t attract very much, do we?” Tooru sighed before taking a swig of his water. “Because I’m awful, apparently, and you’re no saint.” 

Hajime didn’t have anything to say after that, looking past Tooru to the park around him, to the patrons of the park. Tooru closed his eyes and turned his head towards the sky, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin, the sounds of the leaves rustling in trees, chatter from those nearby, distant dogs barking. While it wasn’t the most rural area, it was still a welcome change from the neighborhood his apartment was in, the nearest park like this nearly a full hour away. 

The two ate in silence, Tooru simply walking to a nearby trashcan to throw his trash away once he was done, Hajime following, already done minutes before Tooru was. 

“There’s no fucking way it’s already this late,” Tooru heard Hajime mutter as he checked his phone. 

Tooru checked the time himself. He shrugged. “15:00 isn’t that bad. They do say time flies when you’re having fun, you know.” 

“I take it back, it’s felt like an eternity.” Tooru gave his shoulder a shove before starting down one of the gravel paths of the park, Hajime left with nothing to do but follow, until Tooru’s phone buzzed in his pocket. 

He sighed, reading the contact name that flashed across the screen, muttering, “Give me a second.”

“ _Where are you two?_ ” Kokomi’s voice came over the speaker, Tooru holding his phone a small distance from his ear out of habit, knowing how much she liked to open their conversations with yelling and scolding. “ _You just left us all there!_ ”

“Relax, Kokomi, I’m here with Iwaizumi,” he reassured. Hajime’s expression seemed to loosen at the mention of her name, and the newly gained understanding of who was calling. 

“ _You say that like it’s supposed to make me feel better,”_ she responded. 

“We’re not causing any chaos, I promise. We sat and ate pizza, and were about to go on a very nice and romantic walk by ourselves,” Tooru tried to sweeten up his voice, while still keeping his sister under the impression that he was mad that she had called, “and then we were interrupted, and here we are.” 

“ _Are you sure that’s Iwaizumi with you_?”

Tooru turned to Hajime, all deadpan, “I don’t know. Are we sure you’re Iwaizumi?” 

“ _Please for the love of everything holy just put me on speaker, Tooru._ ” 

He conceded, stepping to stand beside Hajime and putting his sister on speaker. 

“Hello?” Hajime said, leaning in to speak into the phone. 

“ _He’s not holding you against your will, is he?”_

“Why would I!” Tooru protested, simultaneously as Hajime muttered a, “No?” 

“ _Okay, and you have a nicer outfit beside what you’re going to wear at the wedding, right? And the ability to sit through some family bonding without running away?”_

Hajime frowned. “For the record, that was this asshole’s fault.” He even added a pinch at Tooru’s arm, one that caught him so off guard he almost dropped the phone. 

“ _Okay, cool. Because dinner’s at six thirty_.” 

And with that, Kokomi hung up. 

-

Hajime smoothed out his dress shirt. “It’s a casual dinner, don’t worry,” Tooru reminded, still sitting at the edge of the bed in their hotel room, hand pressed against his chin. Casual dinner, but still a casual diner with most of his extended family he hadn’t seen since his high school days. Hajime seemed to be aware of this, unphased as he made his way to the door, looking back at Tooru to get the memo to follow him. 

Despite the distress in his mind, Tooru took the initiative and stepped forward to press the elevator button. When the doors closed in front of them, the both of them were able to hear the smooth jazz coming over the tiny speakers tucked into the corners. 

Tooru even caught Hajime humming and tapping his foot, hands resting in his front pockets. 

“Do you know this one?” Tooru laughed. 

“Not at all,” Hajime responded, though his foot kept the beat and he maintained the melody even after the doors closed behind them and it was lost to the noise and crowd of the hotel lobby. 

There would be more dinners after this, Tooru was aware, but this seemed altogether more intimate, just him, Hajime, and his family. Speaking of, Hajime’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “Your sister just texted me the address to the restaurant,” he said. 

“Really? _You_?” Tooru crossed his arms, Hajime holding the hotel lobby door open for him as they stepped out into the street, the warm air instantly coating Tooru’s exposed skin. 

“Maybe it’s because she knows that I won’t chicken out of a family reunion and lie about messing up the address,” Hajime replied, more of a light joke than anything, but they were both aware of how the hypothetical in question wasn’t all that hypothetical. 

When they crossed the first sidewalk together, Hajime asked him, “Is something bad going to happen?” He said it so softly Tooru almost lost it to the city, slipping behind Hajime for a moment to let a crowd of teenagers pass by him, taking long strides to catch up to him. “Worst case scenario, there’s always the bathroom excuse.” 

“They’re _definitely_ going to see through the bathroom excuse,” Tooru groaned. “We overused that too many times.” 

“And it was so effective, too,” Hajime mourned. And Tooru knew, as they walked in silence, that if he really wasn’t ready to face his family for whatever reason, Hajime would follow. But he was never one to back down from a challenge, as weird as it might’ve sounded to classify a dinner with his family as a challenge. 

But he wasn’t sure where the feeling in his gut had started, what was the root of it, or maybe today was just one of Tooru’s off days and he would’ve rather spent the night lazing around in his and Hajime’s hotel room instead of making an effort to be present for his family. 

He was overreacting. Truly, it was just another dinner, nothing to get himself worked up about. 

“Is this it?” Tooru asked after Hajime had stopped, looking to the restaurant in front of them on the street. 

“No, I just wanted to make sure you answered me honestly,” Hajime answered. 

“I appreciate your concern,” Tooru said, sticking his hands in his pockets, “however; I’m fine, let’s just go so that I don’t get yelled at.” 

The restaurant was a lot nicer than Tooru had expected, suddenly feeling out of place in his casual-leaning outfit, though there was no time for him to change, and he needed to save his actual suit for the wedding day. 

“Oikawa?” he told the employee at the podium, who nodded and motioned for the pair to follow. 

The round tables were covered in possibly the cleanest white tablecloths Tooru had ever seen, and he wondered what sort of elites frequented here and why he wasn’t one of them. Laughter and conversation rippled in from other tables, but as they approached a certain large rounded table in the back, the noise became overpowering. 

“You finally decided to show up?” Kokomi asked. 

“We’re not late,” Tooru protested, taking one of the last empty seats next to his father, Hajime sitting beside him. “You said six thirty, it’s-” he checked his watch- “six thirty two.” 

“Two minutes, Tooru,” his father said, giving Tooru a pat on the shoulder. “A lot can happen in two minutes.” 

“Yes, well, I presume they’re quite an uneventful two minutes if I’m not there to fill the space,” Tooru quipped, thanking a waiter for the glass of water that was placed to his right. His father gave his back another tap, because this was expected of him, despite how much his family might’ve despised the way his confidence spilled into everyday jokes and casual conversation.

One of his aunts continued on with a story she was telling, Tooru only half interested, but still caught on when to laugh or interject when the people around him did. 

He found that, in the seat directly across the table from his, Kokomi was giving him a glare. Tooru returned the favor, mouthing, _What?_

His sister only shook her head and smiled sweetly, giving her full attention back to the table-wide conversation. Tooru turned to Hajime, who also seemed to have witnessed the interaction. 

“I think she wants to know why you’re not wearing one of your tacky Hawaiian shirts,” Hajime whispered. Tooru huffed in response and gave him a small shove, smiling. 

Eventually, it was pointed out by Tooru’s mother that they were at a restaurant, and ordering meals was a thing that they were expected to do, so Tooru picked at the menu in front of him, tapping his hands against the fake leather as he surveyed his options. He almost felt guilty choosing, simply just looking at the prices, but Kokomi had announced that she would cover it, and suddenly the higher the better. If she wanted to invite him over for a wedding, it was only natural she would get ready to pay for things, he reasoned. 

“So, Tooru. Iwaizumi,” his uncle started once the whole table had ordered and the waiter walked away. Tooru stiffened at his name, instinctively shifting in his chair to be slightly closer to Hajime, now that attention was on the two of them. “How did you two meet? Or, I guess I should say, fall in love?” 

Tooru almost laughed. Falling in love seemed to be quite a weighted term, and he wasn’t sure he’d felt anything akin to it, at least not romantically. After he realized Hajime wasn’t going to say something, he started, “Well,” looking to his side for confirmation. “It was three months ago, was it?” Three months. They’d agreed on three months, a span of time serious enough to be brought along on serious family occasions like weddings, but not long enough for a breakup to seem unnatural. What they hadn’t considered, however, were the finite details. Tooru thought of himself as quite a good liar, so he was sure that they would be able to make up something on the spot and roll with it, but his mind was drawing a blank.

“Iwa-chan said something first,” Tooru said, vague enough of a direct answer, and he could gauge Hajime’s reaction to decide if he’d said the wrong thing and that he should backtrack. Not soon after, Hajime’s foot stomped onto Tooru’s own, Hajime coughing lightly to pass it off. Now, something inside Tooru said to take advantage of the situation, of the power he had by speaking first. 

“He took me stargazing, told me how wonderful and gorgeous I am, and was lucky enough that I liked him back.” 

If they were alone, Tooru had no doubt he would’ve gotten some sort of insult thrown back at him, but now Hajime was forced to play along, and he took joy in the way that Hajime nodded in agreement, a small, most likely forced, smile tracing his lips. 

“I still think this idiot’s just lucky I’ve stuck around,” Hajime responded, and of course he’d find a way to tease him. 

“Well, you two were inseparable as kids, so I doubt anything that big could keep you apart,” Tooru’s mother humed with a smile before taking a sip of her water. 

“Oh, they were horrible together, I’m sure I’ve told you,” Kokomi said to her fiancee. It seemed to happen often whenever she was with the rest of the family, and Kokomi was always there to explain everything to her. Tooru smiled, no doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t have the patience to go over everything with anyone else. “They would annoy the hell out of me all the time, getting to college and moving out was a relief.” 

“And yet you texted and called everyday,” Tooru countered. “And cried when you came home for the holidays.” 

Kokomi brushed it off with a wave of her hand. “There was something in my eye and I was tired after the flight, Tooru, you know this.” Yet they were both aware how fantastic hugging one another after long term separation was, and Tooru cherished the memory of watching his sister run in her new heather grey hoodie, sporting her college’s logo on the front, and being in the same room with her for the first time in what felt like years. 

“I think it was always inevitable before this started to happen.” Kokomi made a motion, gesturing to the two of them as a pair. 

“Not all friendships have to end in relationships,” Tooru reasoned. 

“I’m not saying that they do,” Kokomi said into her cup, “but you two have something special.” 

Tooru frowned. “It’s your wedding, Kokomi, if anyone has something special here it’s you.” Raising two stubborn bastards for children meant that their parents had to be prepared for them to deliver every sort of compliment with some grain of salt attached. 

Just then, the waiters came back with a small bowl of bread for the table, one of Tooru’s nephew’s reaching a hand out for a slice before his hand was smacked away by his parents. When the bowl was handed over to Tooru, he took one slice for himself and placed the other on the plate in front of Hajime. 

“Hey,” he protested. 

“I washed my hands, okay.” 

“No, not that. You should’ve taken two slices for me.” 

Tooru laughed. “Too late now. Deal with it.” 

“You have an extra slice.” 

Tooru slid the plate away from Hajime. “Like hell.” 

“Be nice, Tooru,” Kokomi scolded.

“He’s trying to steal my food!” Tooru protested. “What else am I supposed to do?” 

“Let him have it?” his sister offered. 

“It’s like you’re not even my family anymore.” 

“Take Iwaizumi’s surname, then,” Kokomi shot back, stopping both Tooru and Hajime in their tracks, both frozen by the implications of the comment. 

A plate shattered on the floor the next second, everyone turning to the noise, the chatter within the restaurant dying down a bit as the waiter rushed to collect all the ceramic shards on the floor, and at least the plate was empty. 

“Brings me back to my days in retail,” Tooru’s father hummed, starting on a tangent how things used to be so much harder for retail workers, “Back in the day,” his mother offering that maybe that was just America. 

Tooru didn’t speak again until their food was here, and the conversation shifted to most of the adults present, the _older_ adults. Kokomi didn’t quip with him, neither did Hajime, until it came time for discussion of desert. 

“I don’t think you need any more sugar, Shi-Oikawa.” It was startling to hear Hajime stop himself from using the nickname, either for the presence of younger children or just the caliber of the restaurant they were in, or most likely a mix of both. 

“Why? Afraid I’ll keep you up all night?” 

“Yes,” Hajime answered. 

“He’ll crash eventually, don’t worry,” Kokomi assured. “I think it’s admirable how many times you’ve said you were going for all night and crashed at maybe four or five.” 

“You say it like you’re any better, I’m always the one dragging _you_ out of bed.” Tooru crossed his arms. It was a childish conversation, he knew, and they were both being too petty for their own good, but it was somewhat relieving to joke with his sister. 

But despite Hajime’s attempt, when it came around to him, Tooru ordered one of the brownie ice cream sundaes. Hajime passed when it came around to him. 

“You’re not going to get anything?” 

“No, because I know you’re just gonna eat all of mine whether I like it or not,” Hajime said. “You’re like a leech sometimes.” 

“Am not!” Tooru huffed. “Food’s just always a lot better when it’s from someone else’s plate.” 

Now, he certainly regretted those words. As soon as the plate was placed in front of him, Hajime leaned over and scooped up the corner of the brownie with his fork and ate, expression betraying nothing. Tooru shifted his chair away from him, just enough so it wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone else at the table. And yet again, Hajime reached over to take another bite of his food. 

“Get your own,” Tooru huffed. 

“I thought you said yourself, _Oikawa_ , food tastes better when-” 

“I know, I know, that applied only for _me_ .” Tooru gave his arm a light smack. “In that situation, I was the speaker, and someone else’s plate meant _any plate but mine_.” 

“It’s not your plate,” Hajime reasoned, “it’s the restaurants.” 

“I don’t mind sharing, honestly, Iwa-chan, just _ask_.” 

“Fine.” Hajime sighed. “May I have a bite of your food?” 

“No-”

“Cool,” he said simply, leaning in for another bite. 

“You wound me, Iwa-chan,” Tooru exhaled, realizing it was a lost cause and pushing the plate to Hajime. 

-

Tooru was exhausted by the time they were back at the hotel. He hadn’t realized how the dinner had gone for three hours alone, and there was something about the heat that made every small task more and more draining. 

“I’m showering first,” Hajime announced as soon as the keycard was swiped and the door swung open.

“Rude,” Tooru responded, though he had meant to call Sugawara back from when he had called during their dinner. It was nice to talk to him, he found, not realizing the small ache in his chest that he felt was the missing presence of his roommate, on their usual ice cream binges, doing nothing but simply sitting there and enjoying the company. 

Eventually, he brushed his teeth and took out his contacts, Hajime laughing at him once he stepped out of the bathroom in his glasses. 

“Grow up,” Tooru simply said, taking a seat at his side of the bed. “They’re just eye windows.”

“I think that’s the worst name for glasses I’ve ever heard.” 

“Does that make contacts curtains?” 

“Absolutely not,” Hajime snorted, “I think it’d be terrifying if there were flowery patterns on contacts. How’s Sugawara?” 

“Good,” Tooru said. “He got a promotion.” 

“Oh, so that’s the squealing I heard from the shower.” Tooru gave him a punch to the shoulder. 

“Did you take off your binder yet?” 

“Yes.” 

“And you’re binding safely?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you drank some water?” 

“Mhm.” 

“And what’s my name?” 

“Gotcha.” 

Tooru frowned. After the silence, Hajime looked up at him. “Did I say something wrong?” 

“You didn’t say anything at all, that’s the problem.” 

“Sorry, long day.” Hajime crossed his arms, staring at the foot of the bed. 

After a moment, Tooru muttered, “Did _I_ say something wrong?” 

“I mean, you said a lot of things I don’t agree with, but seriously, no.” 

_Good_ , Tooru thought to himself, but he wanted for Hajime to forget he had ever asked. If Hajime had ever said something that overstepped any sort of boundaries or that hurt _his_ feelings, he knew Tooru well enough to pick up on it right away. It was never the case that Tooru didn’t know what Hajime was feeling when he was upset, and what it was about and what he could do to help.

But, knowing Hajime, it really could just depend on sleep. 

“Alright.” Tooru turned off the lamp on his side and took off his glasses, setting them by his phone on the nightstand. “You can stay up a little bit, I don’t care.” 

Hajime sighed instead, simply turning off the light on his side and grabbing the blanket. 

“Good night, Iwa-chan.” 

Silence. 

“I _said_ , good-” 

A pillow hit his face. 

“Hey!” 

“Good night, Shittykawa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lol *politely requests a kudo and/or comment*


	3. Day Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am fragile and cannot write ""angst"" for the life of me, so hopefully any of this makes sense ?? thanks for coming back again, i really do appreciate it :)
> 
> also apologies about the spacing being weird with italics !!

Tooru took his time getting out of bed that day. He knew that for his sister and the rest of his immediate family, the day would mostly be spent doing final preparations for the wedding, greeting other guests, making sure everything was ready for the rehearsal tomorrow, and the real wedding only a day after that. Kokomi had told him that they were free to do with the day as they pleased, and Tooru planned to take advantage of the freedom to benefit himself as much as he could. 

He’d heard Hajime get up earlier, only drifting into consciousness for a brief moment before closing his eyes, thinking it wouldn’t be important unless Hajime woke him up for it. 

Until, the sun got to a point in the sky where it shined directly onto Tooru’s face, the light making him flinch. He turned away from the window, turning to face where Hajime was. 

Where Hajime should’ve been. 

It took a second for him to realize, pushing himself to sit up immediately, wiping at his eyes, fumbling for his glasses. Their room was quiet, save from the chatter outside that filtered in. He checked his phone 

**Iwaizumi (10:56)** going out

 **Iwaizumi (10:58)** dw about it

Tooru sighed. He wasn’t completely off edge, since it was rare for Hajime to leave with no further explanation, and his definition of not to worry was often a lot different than Tooru’s. He noted the difference in the time stamps, thinking about how Tooru’s initial response was almost always to worry, and he smiled at the thought of Hajime taking the care to send the extra message. He might as well use this time to get ready. 

When the lock on the door clicked and Hajime walked in, Tooru was laying on their bed, watching local news idly. 

“Have you heard about the lead in some of America’s public school water fountains?” Tooru asked, eyes glued on the morning news. “Fascinating.” 

“I got you something,” Hajime said simply, and Tooru’s head instantly turned at the sound of the plastic bag rustling. 

“So you don’t hate me!” Tooru chirped, though he was sure that Hajime wouldn’t do this unprompted for anyone. 

“I needed a couple things for myself,” Hajime said simply, putting the bag on the bed for Tooru to go through.

“You forgot your toothpaste?” Tooru asked, seeing the first product. “Iwa-chan, have you been lying-” 

“No, I just noticed you were running low.” Hajime pulled a charger out of the bag. “ _This_ is what I needed.” He turned to the wall, replacing the one that he was currently using. Tooru’s smile widened, noticing how the brand was the exact same as he always used whenever he was travelling. “There’s more in there.” 

Tooru took out the toothpaste, gasping at what he saw under it. “You remembered?”

“Obviously,” Hajime scoffed. “It was hard to forget all the texts you sent me when your car was getting fixed and you were sick.” Tooru smiled at the memory, that brief period of time where Sugawara was on a work trip, and he’d caught a terrible flu at home, not that he could’ve driven anywhere, anyways. “But, that’s for after breakfast.” 

“Is it still going?” Tooru asked. 

“For the next couple minutes, I think. C’mon, you can sulk and waste the day all you want once you’ve had some fruit or something.” 

And so, they headed into the elevator, this time, Hajime jumping forward to push the button. 

“So you buttered me up, just to steal the elevator button? Cruel.” 

“That’s just how the world works, sweetheart.” 

Tooru scoffed. “Sweetheart? Yeah, no, that’s not going to work.” 

Hajime smirked. “Sweetheart.” 

“Please don’t-” 

“Sweetheart-”

“ _Stop_ -” 

“Sweetheart-” 

“ _I swear-_ ” 

“-to god!” Tooru’s sentence was filled, oddly enough, by his sister, pacing the hallway outside the elevator. “Dad, is now _really_ the best time to question the flower arrangements- oh, hey, Tooru, Iwaizumi.” 

“Do you need me to insist that the current flowers we have are fine?” Tooru offered, stepping off the elevator. Kokomi wordlessly handed off the phone to him. “Dad. Who gives a shit about the flowers.” 

“ _I do!”_ both Kokomi and his father said at the same time. 

“Okay, well, it’s both of you, and it’s _Kokomi’s_ wedding, not yours. Besides, it’ll be a pain in the ass to make new arrangements, and order them, and make sure they’ll be here for the actual wedding, and get everyone to agree.” 

“ _I don’t know,_ ” the other voice over the line murmured. “ _Are you sure your sister is completely fine with the flower arrangements? Really sure?”_

Tooru held the phone away from him for a moment, covering the speaker and droning off to his sister in a monotone voice, “Are you sure you’re completely fine with the flower arrangements? Really sure?” 

Kokomi hung her head. “ _Yes_ ,” she seethed, “that’s what I’ve been trying to say for the last _twenty minutes_.” 

Tooru snorted. “Okay.” He held the phone back to his ear and repeated, “Yes, that’s what she’s been trying to say for the last twenty minutes.” 

He could hear the faint sounds of his father mumbling to himself, nothing loud enough to be decipherable. “ _Is your boyfriend there with you?_ ” 

It caught Tooru off guard for a moment, turning to the boyfriend in question. “Iwaizumi? Well, yeah, why?” 

“ _Just making sure_.” 

“Trust me, I wouldn’t let him run off that easy.” 

“No matter how much I want to sometimes,” Hajime interjected, though more to Tooru than the man on the phone. He gave Hajime’s arm a pinch before handing the phone back to Kokomi, who only exchanged a set of goodbyes before hanging up. 

“This better be the happiest day of my goddamn life,” she sighed, “because all this preparation is taking away hours of my life that I will certainly never be getting back.” 

“Good thing we don’t have to deal with it,” Tooru said. 

“Oh, just wait until it’s your turn,” Kokomi responded, pointing to Tooru before stealing a glance at Hajime. “ _I’ll_ be the one laughing.” 

“Hm, I think you’ll be more occupied with crying over your dear brother’s wedding. The only reason you’re stepping up to the altar in two days and not me is because we want to let you do it first, and we can learn from your mistakes.” Tooru slipped his arm through Hajime’s, and felt his elbow dig into his side for a moment. It wasn’t his fault, when he saw a good opportunity for a joke, was he _not_ supposed to take it? 

Kokomi shook her head. “It’s always that, isn’t it? Me braving the world before you?” 

Tooru stepped away from Hajime, sensing it was appropriate to pull her into a hug. “Yes, you’re the only one brave enough for it.” She hugged him back, tucking her chin over his shoulder, running a hand through his hair. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tooru turned away from the hug to face Hajime, then back to Kokomi. 

She smirked, jerking her thumb towards Tooru. “You know, this one’s really soft for hair playing.” 

Hajime smirked. “You think I don’t know that already?” He held out a hand and ruffled Tooru’s hair, flattening it out on his head.

“Hey!” Tooru laughed, pushing away his hands. “Don’t mess it up _this_ early in the day!” 

“Oh, so later, then?” 

“If you’re lucky,” he huffed. 

“I have to check in with some of my bridesmaids,” Kokomi said, smiling at the pair of them. “There’s no dinner tonight, so the day is yours, and so is the city.” 

“Already thought of that,” Hajime said simply. 

Tooru turned to him. “Care to enlighten me?” 

“Care to? Absolutely not. You’ll learn soon enough,” was all that Hajime said before Kokomi pulled her brother into a hug. She moved onto Hajime beside him, whispering something in his ear that Tooru wasn’t close enough to hear, Hajime’s brow furrowing from the words. He was already preparing a strongly worded letter, as he liked to call them, he would have to deliver to his sister verbally if she’d said anything remotely out of line because teasing Hajime was _his_ thing, and he’d moved past the time in his life where everything had to be shared with Kokomi. 

“Have fun!” Kokomi called, stepping back before turning and jogging down the hallway, narrowly avoiding an older couple, relying on one another to take their steps. 

“So,” Tooru hooked his hands through the belt loops of his own pants, “what _do_ you have planned?”

“You’ll like it, I promise.” Hajime shrugged. “It’s only a walking distance away, too.” 

Tooru frowned, but after a moment, complied, “Whatever you say. As long as I come back in one piece to enjoy those delicious watermelon candies.” 

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Hajime said as they left through the main doors of the hotel, the heat hitting Tooru once again, already making him apprehensive of staying out. 

“ _Thank you_ ,” Tooru repeated, lacing his voice with sarcasm. 

It would be more moments of silence and pointed out directions from Hajime before Tooru finally said something. “Hey, what did my sister say to you?”

“Oh, nothing, really.” Tooru could tell simply from his tone that Hajime was asking him to just trust him. “Not a big deal.” 

“If it was something rude, I swear, as her younger brother, I’m pretty sure I’m _legally_ required some sort of reparations from her always stealing things from my room and getting first thing about everything-” 

“It was about our thing. You know, the one we’re faking.” 

“Oh.” Right. The thing they were faking. “It hasn’t been that bad for you, has it?” Because, truly, it didn’t feel all that different for Tooru, but then again, maybe his family did have reason for suspicion due to their lack of physical affection and name calling. 

“Surprisingly, no.” 

“Hey, a lot of people would kill to be in your position right now, you know.” Hajime grabbed the back of Tooru’s shirt, pulling him back, and _shit_ he should’ve read the room, but the car drove past them and his heart rate calmed slightly before they crossed the street. Leave it to Hajime to essentially save his life and not even wait around for an apology. 

“Your sister said that you seemed off, and that I should apologize.” 

Tooru stopped and turned to him. “Apologize for _what_?” 

Hajime frowned, turning to the ground, and something inside Tooru told him that maybe this wasn’t the first time his sister and him had swapped pleasantries like this before. 

Tooru laughed humorlessly, because it seemed like the thing to do. “What, is there something you’re not telling me here?” 

“Not at all, actually.” Hajime met his gaze. The small crowds of downtown Los Angeles flowed around them, the sea of people parting slightly, because maybe they sensed that he shouldn’t have even brought it up in the first place, like Tooru did. “She just… you know how you get. _We_ know how you get.” 

Tooru crossed his arms. “I get what?” 

It was Hajime’s turn to laugh. “You seriously don’t see it?” 

And then, Tooru’s heart dropped in his chest. Because Hajime’s able to read him like an open book, but Tooru had no clue what he was talking about and _why was he so stupid_ \- he shook his head slightly. “Look, I don’t want to fight,” he got out, because it was true, the worst thing he could possibly do on a trip, fake dating Hajime, sharing a bed with Hajime, spending the rest of the day with Hajime, was to fight with Hajime. 

“You think I want to either?” Hajime huffed. “There’s obviously something bothering you, and it seems to get worse whenever we’re alone, and I swear if it’s something I’m doing just fucking _tell me_ -” 

“Nothing’s wrong, Iwaizumi,” and Tooru opted for his full family name because he was on vacation in America for his sister’s wedding with his best friend, and nothing was wrong, truly, and- “Why would it be your fault?” 

His words back to back made Hajime falter. He physically took a step back, and Tooru wished for once that his usual intuition would return to him, or maybe Hajime really didn’t trust him with something for once, and he couldn’t tell which one hurt more. 

Hajime covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know what I’m saying.” So if Hajime didn’t know, Tooru assumed he should try to figure it out for him. He looked to the ground beneath him, the worn out pavement, and wondered then if the answer was so painstakingly obvious and he was just doing that feelings denial thing his therapist warned him about. Well, the few weeks he _did_ do therapy. 

Nothing bad was happening with his work, he wasn’t fighting with any of his friends, there was no overarching career to overwork himself about, so, hypothetically, he should’ve felt pretty damn good. He was on a trip with Hajime. No, it couldn’t have anything to do with Hajime. Could it? 

“I don’t know,” he muttered finally, because if anyone was deserving of one of his apologies, it was the person in front of him. “It’s weird. I guess this whole fake dating thing is kind of messing with my brain about…” For lack of a better word, Tooru waved his hand in between the two of them, hoping Hajime had the words to fill the weird mindfuck of a void that were his feelings. “And, I guess, we haven’t even kissed yet? Isn’t that weird?” 

Hajime frowned. “Not everyone’s as willing to kiss you, you know.” Tooru could tell the joke came with some strain, but he laughed anyway. 

“I’ll have you know I am a _very_ good kisser,” he responded. 

“How can you tell?” 

“You know, there’s this thing people do when they like things, Iwa-chan, talking about it and saying something?” 

“You know I’m going to tease you until the end of time, right?” Hajime crossed his arms, and Tooru swore he saw the ghost of a smile on his face. 

“Only if you’d let me return the favor. We both know I’m _much_ better at coming up with good jokes than you are; the conversation would simply just get dry and one sided without me.” 

“You give yourself too much credit,” Hajime said, hitting Tooru’s arm lightly. He continued walking, which Tooru took as a sign that they were done with whatever weird argument interaction had just happened.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, and Tooru desperately wanted to ask where exactly they were headed, and what Hajime had planned, if not out of pure curiosity than to diffuse the newly formed tension between the two of them. 

“A mall?” Tooru asked as Hajime pushed open the glass door for him. “Are you taking me to a movie?”

“Of course not, that’s an awfully boring date,” Hajime said. “Have a little faith.” 

“What do you have against movie dates?” 

“You sit in silence for, what, two hours, then maybe get some dinner after then go home?” Hajime shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Sounds like two hours that could be spent bonding wasted, to me. Plus, extremely overpriced food” 

Tooru nodded. “Makes sense. Although, being able to talk over the movie at home _is_ pretty nice.”

Hajime stepped into the elevator first, the doors already opening to let out shoppers behind them. “I can pay for our tickets, don’t worry.” 

“Wait, we’re not going to a movie?” Tooru asked, curiosity overriding the opportunity to make a joke. 

Hajime grinned. “You’ll see.” They stepped off the elevator and that was when it hit him. 

“ _How the hell did you know this was here_?” Tooru hissed, though he was far from disappointed. 

“You snore a lot, you know,” Hajime started, taking a small hit to the shoulder before he shrugged. “I was up a little bit earlier this morning, and looked around while I was out, and I remembered how much fun you had that day before graduation, so why not?” 

“But we’ll have no one to compete against,” Tooru complained as they stepped into the arcade. 

“No rules against competing against each other, are there?” Hajime offered, stepping up to the counter and pulling out his wallet. 

Tooru shook his head, whispering once Hajime was done paying, “Famous last words, Iwa-chan.” 

“It’s always a competition with you, I figured I needed to step up _my_ game,” Hajime reasoned. He slipped the card into Tooru’s hand. “Same amount of credits on both of our cards, whoever gets the most tickets wins.” 

“And what would the prize be?” 

“Hm?” 

“It’s not winning without a prize, now is it?” Tooru scoffed. “Other than that it’s just…” 

“The satisfaction of beating a worthy opponent and, in your case, rubbing it in their face and gloating?” Hajime finished. 

“Hey, you do an awful lot of gloating yourself,” Tooru said. “But we’ll see who’ll be gloating by the end. Loser owes winner a favor” 

“You’re on,” Hajime scoffed. They were both quite familiar with this type of bet, and favors had meant everything from Tooru doing Hajime’s homework for the week, to writing his name in permanent marker on his forehead. His mother hadn’t been pleased with that one, but his sister had gotten a good blackmail-worthy picture. 

The arcade was surprisingly busy, and at first it was simply a matter of finding a game that wasn’t being used. They stumbled upon a game of basketball, highest number of made shots won. 

“This should be easy,” Tooru said, stretching his arms out in front of him, leaning his head back. Despite how long it had been since he’d played competitively, he was still a setter at heart, and maybe the skills didn’t exactly transfer over to another sport, but the specific techniques he’d drilled into his own head in his high school years were nearly impossible to forget. 

Hajime only smirked and spun the ball in his hands before they both swiped their cards, getting a ten second countdown before a buzzer sounded and a bright red zero shone above both of their courts. Tooru shot instantly, nailing it right in the net, the ball not even hitting the rim before it fell. He almost stopped simply to enjoy the nice feeling, but there was no way he’d go easy on Hajime. 

Surprisingly, his skills transferred easily enough, but he couldn’t help but notice Hajime’s pace only quickening over the span of the minute. The pressure alone made his shots become sloppy, and Tooru couldn’t help but mutter curses. 

When the buzzer rang, Tooru turned to see that Hajime had beaten him by a whole ten points. Hajime clapped his hands in response. “Gloating, huh?” 

“Rematch,” Tooru said simply, already swiping his card. 

“If you want to rub salt in the wound, go ahead,” Hajime challenged, swiping his own card accordingly. 

The buzzer sounded again, and Tooru was even more focused on shooting the balls as fast as possible, maintaining just enough composure to actually get the ball through the basket. But, it seemed to not be enough, because Hajime was still beating him, flawlessly, it seemed. Tooru smirked.

When Hajime was mid throw, Tooru smacked the ball to the floor, immediately turning back to continue shooting like he’d done absolutely nothing. It took Hajime a surprising amount of time to chase after the ball and return to shooting, and Tooru guessed it gave him good enough of a lead to last the remaining fifteen seconds. 

“And _that_ ,” Tooru huffed, regarding his three point lead triumphantly, “is how you play.” 

Hajime hit his arm. “That doesn’t count.”

Yet, Tooru collected the strip of tickets that dispensed out of the machine soon after. “The tickets don’t care about what’s fair or not.” 

Hajime straightened. “It’s alright,” he said confidently. “I’ll be beating you soon enough, that little trick of yours won’t do anything in the end.” 

They sped through the rest of their credits in what felt like all too short to Tooru, mostly tied. He might’ve estimated that Hajime had a slight edge, but it was hard to tell when they both had chains of tickets hanging around their necks and carelessly stuck in pockets. 

“Oh, here,” Hajime suggested. 

Tooru snorted. “Are you serious? You’re wasting your tickets on one of these?” 

“Hell yeah I am.” The game in question was a ticket wheel, the illustrious five hundred ticket prize advertised very clearly on the glittering sign perched above. Kokomi was obsessed with these, Tooru knew, and maybe that was why it bothered him so much. It felt like cheating, to just simply luck out on that many tickets, instead of rightfully earning them in a well played game. Or, maybe, he was just a little too invested in winning, more specifically against Hajime. Even though he never considered what he’d want to ask as a favor. But it would all come to him in due time, he was sure. 

Hajime swiped his card, cracking his knuckles for show before pulling the lever down and spun the wheel. They both stood in silence, waiting for the wheel to slow. 

Tooru sputtered a laugh, mocking Hajime’s earlier words. “Oh, yeah, hell yeah you are.” 

“Five tickets are still five tickets, Shittykawa,” Hajime said, grabbing the small strip and stuffing it into his pocket. “These will be the very five tickets I win with, alright.” 

He swiped to spin again. 

“Twenty isn’t bad,” Tooru commented, “though I could probably do better.” 

Hajime stepped back. “Be my guest.” 

“Absolutely not,” he said instantly. “When my good luck gets five hundred tickets on the first try, the win won’t feel earned.” 

“So confident,” Hajime said, stepping forward again. 

“ _Again_?” 

Hajime flashed him a wink before he pulled the lever. 

And then it became clear that the universe was just playing some elaborate, sick joke on Tooru, because there was absolutely no way Hajime had just _happened_ to land on the sliver of a space that earned him five hundred tickets. 

While Tooru stood dumbstruck, Hajime was full on laughing, the kind that required him to take a step back and turn around, smile infectious. “Your timing truly is amazing.” The tickets pooled out of the machine, hitting the floor as they piled up. 

“Right? It seems I’m your good luck charm,” Tooru joked, but he refused to be smiling and laughing like Hajime was after being proved so blatantly wrong. 

Hajime hit his arm, and maybe it was just a little bit worth it to see his smile, “So stay by my side.” 

And sure, it was a joke, the response was only Hajime playing along with his jokes like he always did, but there was something about the words that made Tooru’s heart swell. That’s what they did, didn’t they? Inseparable, Tooru and Hajime, Hajime and Tooru. The ones the teachers would always warn one another about, conversing so they made sure to never sit the pair next to one another. The ones that their parents would refer to as a unit, like inviting one and not the other was a betrayal to their very nature. Tooru and Hajime, the names that the pair had signed themselves in the tree behind the school, that one summer day. 

Tooru can remember it clearly, the way his shirt had stuck to him from the heat, one of the hottest days in the summer, and yet Hajime had insisted they be outside, exploring. And what he would give to go back and view his neighborhood in the same childlike vision, when the most miniscule things felt like the greatest discoveries, because their worlds weren’t large enough yet to comprehend moon landings, so the discovery of the heart on the trunk of the climbing tree was history enough for them. 

Because it seemed like the reasonable thing to do, Hajime had pulled out a pencil from his pocket and started scratching. It had taken longer than either of them initially thought. Tooru remembered sitting on the branch quietly, swinging his legs, watching the bugs below him converse, feeling awfully big for a child. 

He knew how important the moment had been for Hajime as well, because this was the beginning of the year where he’d finally be addressed as himself. So he waited, humming until Hajime got annoyed and told him to stop, and he’d comply until it was too hard to be sitting _and_ quiet. 

Tooru had stayed, quietly, and he knew that his mom was expecting them to be doing their assigned work over break, but math wasn’t nearly as important to him. He’d stayed, because whether or not the memory could be recalled in full detail by Hajime didn’t matter if it satisfied him enough in that one moment, until the problem of how to get down announced itself, and Tooru ended up breaking his knee and their quiet moment was over after that. 

“Hello?”

Tooru wasn’t sure how long Hajime had let him space out, but he snapped back to attention as soon as he heard his voice. 

“Yes,” Tooru answered, the unspoken question, “thinking about how I’ll beat your ass in Dance Dance Revolution, though.” 

Hajime smirked. “Of course you will.” 

-

Tooru had put up a valiant effort, but it was hard to bridge the five hundred ticket gap. 

“See, that’s the thing,” he said with a mouthful of pretzel, “if you hadn’t gotten that bullshit spin, I actually would’ve won.” 

“And now I have a _favor_ ,” Hajime hummed, taking a sip of his soda. “Whatever shall I ask for?” 

“That’s for you to decide, but I hope you know I am _not_ willing to wake up early to get you toothpaste and candy.” 

“You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“ _Thank you_ ,” Tooru sighed, but it was unspoken. 

“I’ll save it, then,” Hajime concluded. 

“Don’t you have hundreds of favors saved at this point?” Tooru asked.

“Yes, because I spread them out wisely and don’t spend all at once.” 

“Sometimes favors are _necessary_ ,” Tooru said, “if you’re just closer to the remote, you’re closer to the remote.” He knew how petty it was to use up favors for trivial everyday arguments, but there was a sense of satisfaction of an argument being instantly handed over in his favor, simply because of the unspoken rules of the favors. 

They stopped by another by the slice pizza place on their way back to the hotel for a slightly later dinner, Hajime laughing at the way Tooru now had a small stain on the shoulder of his white shirt, the sauce nearly impossible to scrub out.

“I think it adds character,” Tooru protested. 

“Because everyone loves a man in a stained shirt.” 

“When _I’m_ the man, sure.” 

Kokomi had caught him on his way through the lobby, pulling Tooru aside to talk. Mostly wedding stuff, which Tooru was already tired of hearing about, so he could only imagine how sister might’ve felt. It was nice, the time alone to catch up, without having to live up to the expectations of constantly being snarky with one another, to simply talk like siblings did. 

“Sara’s been surprisingly calm throughout it all,” Kokomi sighed, slouching into the lobby’s couch a little further. Tooru moved to meet her posture. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“She’s lucky to have you too, you know,” Tooru hummed. “Still can’t believe you’re actually getting _married_.” 

Kokomi laughed. “Oh, I know, right? And you were always so insistent you’d be first, but here you are.” 

“To be fair,” he said, “ _technically_ the bet was that I’d be single when you were married, and that’s not exactly true, is it?” 

“Unless something happens between the two of you tomorrow, sure,” Kokomi joked. “How _are_ things going?” 

And now, the prospect of fighting with Hajime brought him back to what had happened that morning. Tooru sat up, Kokomi following with a frown, sensing what he might be about to say. 

“Did you- say something to him? Iwaizumi, I mean.” 

Kokomi looked to the floor, twiddling her thumbs in the way she did when she did something wrong or dropped their mother’s vase. “I… you seem different around him, Tooru. Maybe it’s the difference from going from friends to dating but,” she waved her hands, “you seem kind of on edge around him. I told him to apologize, because we both know how stubborn you are when you fight with people, don’t interrupt me, and it’s pretty obvious how much you two mean to one another. It’s not worth fighting with someone like that.”

Tooru wiped a hand over his eyes, like maybe that could give a new perspective, show him why everyone else seemed to be picking up on something extremely important he couldn’t seem to notice for the life of him. “I don’t know. We didn’t fight. And, I don’t feel weird around him but… it somehow seems different?” When he remembered that, as raw as he could be with his sister, he still had to fake this relationship for the rest of the trip, he quickly added, “Opposed to the months that we’ve been dating before. I don’t know, I’m bad at this.” Tooru tugged his knees to his chest. 

“Well, it seemed like you had fun today, didn’t you?” Kokomi offered. “Judging off the way he was making you laugh when you walked in. If only you saw how he looked at you, then.” 

“Look, if he looks like he’s going to suffocate me in my sleep, you _have_ to tell me,” he responded, but if they were in a real relationship, there should’ve been no problem with Hajime looking at him in whatever romantic way Kokomi had seen. But not in a fake relationship, right? 

“Look, point is, Tooru; be honest with him. He deserves that much at least. If it feels different… good way or bad?” 

It takes him a moment to respond. “Good? But, good in a way that shouldn’t feel good, or like you know it won’t last.” 

Kokomi exhaled. “Process your feelings in a healthy way once in a while, could you?” 

“I would, if only I knew how.” Tooru leaned back into the couch, wishing the cushions would suffocate and take him away just long enough to sort out everything, to have a moment to process. 

“If you ever need help, or to talk, I’m right here.” _I’m right here_. Tooru nearly finished the sentence for her, having heard and passed around the phrase many a time with his sister, one that felt common enough on his tongue to begin to lose the full effect of it, but he knew when it came to him and Kokomi, they sincerely meant it. 

“It’s almost your wedding, I don’t want to make it about me.”

“Well, that’s a first,” Kokomi snorted.

From his pocket, Tooru’s phone buzzed, the same dedicated ringtone sounding when he took it in his hands. “Sorry,” he offered his sister, “we can talk tomorrow.” She gave him a nod before he stood and took the call. 

“Hello?” 

“ _I know you’re probably doing things right now, but I just need you to-_ ” 

“Suga, what do you need,” Tooru finished, not trying to be rude but simply to stop his roommate from rambling like he often did. 

“ _Where the hell did you leave the vacuum.”_ Tooru almost laughed, not expecting it. 

“It’s in the closet, right?” 

“ _My thoughts exactly,”_ Sugawara said, and Tooru could hear some sort of action happening on the other line, “ _but. It’s not in the closet._ ” 

“Okay, well, did you look somewhere else? Do you really need it right now?” 

“ _Yes, right now, this is quite disgusting_.” 

“Can’t you use a broom?” 

“ _Can’t find that either_.” 

“Damn,” Tooru mumbled, “has it really been that long since we’ve cleaned?” He began to make his way to the elevators, to retire for the night. 

“ _Yes, and I hope you know how lucky you are for not being here to help me._ ” 

“Have you checked the smaller cabinet in the bathroom? It’s handheld, it can probably fit there.” 

Silence. “ _Yeah, okay, give me a second._ ” 

Tooru stayed on the phone with him as the elevator began to move, waiting for the verdict. 

“ _It’s not there, Oikawa.”_

“Seriously?” Tooru shifted the phone beneath his cheek and his shoulder to unlock the door to his hotel room. “Maybe it’s in the kitchen?” 

Hajime, inside, was laying on their bed, scrolling through his phone. He opened his mouth to say something, but looked up and saw Tooru on the phone. “Is that Sugawara?” 

“Yes, this is Suga,” Tooru repeated. 

“ _Oh, is Iwaizumi with you?_ ” 

“Yes, Iwaizumi is with me.” 

“ _Put me on speaker._ ” Tooru made no move to do so, focusing instead on kicking off his shoes. “ _This isn’t a request._ ” 

“Fine, if you’re so insistent,” Tooru mocked, sitting at the foot of the bed and pulling the phone away from his ear. Hajime sat up as he was turning up the volume. 

“Hello?” 

“ _Oh, Iwaizumi, good, do you know where the fuck our vaccum is_?” 

“No hellos?” Tooru teased. “Really, I thought I taught you to have better manners at this point.” 

“Oh, the small one?” Hajime only answered instead. “Yeah, I accidentally kicked over Oikawa’s trash can when he was out. I didn’t know where to put it back, so I put it in his desk.” 

“You put it in my _desk_?” 

Hajime shrugged. “It fit in the second drawer, so why not.” 

“ _You’re a lifesaver_ ,” Sugawara said over the phone, but Tooru was more concerned about the fact that; “Do you know how dirty those things are, Iwa-chan?” 

“It’s what’s inside them that’s dirty,” Hajime reasoned. “It was sealed tight, you have nothing to worry about.” 

“ _Okay, you two have a good night_.” 

“Hey, are you not going to actually talk to me?” Tooru said. 

“ _No, you can resolve this lovers' quarrel of yours on your own_ ,” Sugawara joked. “ _I have an apartment to clean. You’re welcome.”_

“Thank you,” was all Tooru could get in before his roommate hung up. 

“In my defense,” Hajime started when Tooru fixed him with a glare, “at least I cleaned up after myself, a skill you seem to be lacking in.” 

“Alright, whatever,” Tooru grumbled, standing and heading to the bathroom, just wanting to take his contacts out and finally get some sleep. 

When he was done with getting ready for the night, he found that Hajime was already passed out, asleep, curling into himself on top of the blankets. Tooru smiled at the stillness, turning off the lamp on his side for him before deciding what to do about Hajime himself. 

It was a difficult task, getting the blanket out from under him without waking him, but Tooru deemed it better than letting Hajime freeze overnight. 

When Tooru settled down into the bed, he found his eyes peeled wide awake. He sighed, resorting to laying on his back and looking at the ceiling. Sleep was something he valued, and he definitely didn’t want to end up sleeping in so late the next day that it would delay him and Hajime on their plans, nor did he want to get woken up by his sister mere minutes before the rehearsal. His phone was always an option, but then he would end up actively staying awake, and he doubted he would be able to read much without putting his glasses on, an active decision of consciousness. 

Tooru was going to have to suck it up. 

“Night, Hajime,” he whispered, because it felt appropriate. 

And it might’ve been minutes and hours before he actually fell asleep, it was hard to tell in the moment. It could’ve been the part of his mind that even resorted to counting sheep or could’ve been the part of himself that was still holding onto the fact that he’d gotten a, “Night, Tooru,” back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oikawa realize ur feelings challenge <3 its ok you want to kiss him

**Author's Note:**

> please consider leaving a comment, let me know what you think !! i'll try to update weekly :)


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